Question
What will happen if I missed meds for 5 days?
18 April 2022. Related: Adherence, All topics, Resistance.
Hi. I missed my HIV meds for 5 days and want to know what will happen to my health?
This was unplanned but my doctor was not around and i was traveling on that day had no prescription to get from the chemist. Now i am worried.
Answer
Hi there
Thanks.
As this has already happened, please do not worry. The risk from doing this once is very small. But now you are back on meds, please tell your doctor.
Perhaps ask them to help with earlier prescriptions, so this doesn’t happen again. Doing this once will only have a low risk. But doing it more often will increase the risk each time. The risk would also be higher if your viral load is detectable.
But missing more than one or two days gives HIV a chance to become resistant to the meds. If this happens, they might not work as well when you restart treatment. If the resistance developed your viral load could rebound.
It is also good to plan now in case something similar happens again. Try to collect your new prescription a few weeks before your meds run out.
COVID-19 means that many clinics now give longer prescriptions. Instead of having to collect meds every month, many services now provide meds for 3 months or 6 months.
This link shows how missing doses increases the risk of drug resistance.
https://i-base.info/guides/starting/missed-dose
Hi Onela, no, HIV is not really a risk for sudden events. It is a viral infection that usually takes many years to weaken your immune system – if it is not treated. Being on HIV treatment – called ART – will protect your immune system and keep you healthy.
Hi Simon, does being HIV positive means that you can die any time?